The continent of Africa may not be the biggest and may not have the largest population in the world, but it presents some of the biggest and most intractable problems in the world for people working with children and young people.

Many countries are still unsettled politically and torn by war. In some continents, the boundaries between countries have been settled, and within countries there is unity. In Africa there are still disputed boundaries and bitter conflicts between tribal and political groups. There are tensions between the Muslim north and the Christian south, especially in the countries where the overlap is greatest. Within some countries, effective political systems have not yet been established since they achieved freedom from colonial control by European countries.

On top of the political and religious problems, there are droughts, and natural disasters, and major health problems. Some of the older problems are still being addressed, such as leprosy, but it has been especially disastrous for African countries with their limited economic resources that AIDS should strike the continent so hard.

Children have suffered as a result of all these problems. Often they have lacked food and the basics of life. Education has been insufficient. Health care has been poor. Children have been victims of war, exploitation and corruption.

Yet, faced with these massive problems, people have achieved wonders, helping to provide food, health care and education. Some of this has been the work of governments. Some seems to have been successful despite governments, the result of aid programmes and voluntary effort.

There is a massive amount to do, but Africa is a continent to which people become attached, and it has tremendous prospects for the future. It has massive natural resources. It has space. It has unique wild life. Most of all it has its people, and many of them are young.

In this issue we look at some of the problems faced in Africa, and some of the solutions people are devising. We wish them well, and we hope that by publishing these pieces, others may be attracted to help, but most of all, we hope that the coming generations in Africa will find their own answers and build their continent anew.